More paradise!

More pics from this fabulous day, thought I would share!

We went to Canterbury today, and nearly as exciting as these photos was to spot Jane Dean! I wanted to say hi to her but she was busy on the phone, Big Monkey and I loitered for a little while trying not to look like demented stalkers, but we had to rush off for fear of getting a parking ticket! She is my favourite designer - love the colour and style of her work so so much!

Off to upload my pics from today, night night xx

Paradise found 2!

Here's just a taster of the fab day I had yesterday. 

I took so many photos it will be hard to know which ones to scrap! Andy was superb teaching me to use my camera and I didn't even mind when I got wee'ed on by the lions - twice!!!!! I guess it was a sign they liked me huh? It certainly meant the tigers were keen to sniff me afterwards which made some great pics!

I think it will have to be a mini album dedicated to the day - certainly not one I will forget in a hurry!

Thank you Monkey - you have many gold stars in the bank for this one! xx

Paradise found!

I had lots of lovely pictures to share with you tonight but Blogger is playing up and I can't upload them!!

This was my welcome to my birthday present (I took this shot) and there are many more to follow. I actually took over 1200, and I am pleased to say there aren't too many duffers!

Will try to upload them tomorrow

xx

Pancakes!

Sorry to say that we slummed it a little today - Mcd's with maple syrup are so very rubbish but so very very yummy without time/spondoolies for a trip to the States and IHOP!!!!

Well, we are here in Kent for two days for part of my birthday trip - tomorrow we are going to a private BIG cat park where I will spend the day photographing the BIG cats! I am really excited but a little nervous as I am still mastering my camera and the instructional DVD seemed to make perfect sense when I watched it - I have just forgotten it all now. This is a great opportunity and I don't want to mess up the pics!!

The photography workshop I am doing is very jolly and lighthearted - starts properly this week, but I did manage my SP finally - thought you might like a peek. It made us laugh!

See you soon xx

Magical!

The last few days have passed in a blur - time flies when you are having fun!

Friday was lovely - sunny and warm for the most part, and along with Grannywen and Papajohn we spent some very enjoyable time walking along the river at Christchurch, feeding the ducks and of course taking photos. After a yummy pub lunch on the quay at Mudeford we set off home.

Saturday passed in a blur of 5 and 6 year olds at a birthday party for a friends son, followed by a catch up as we haven't met up since this time last year, and a chinese takeaway for tea - yummy!

Today was quiet - if you can call the constant roar of crashing cars on the playstation quiet? Homework posters are all done and I have completed the prep required for my SP which I will take tomorrow morning in the daylight - can't put it off any longer!? 

It's back to school for small Monkey tomorrow, and off to London for a night before Big Monkey and I head off for Kent for my birthday trip. I am very excited. I have been busy stalking ebay for all the photography extras I wanted for my birthday and didn't get, and will scrap them with a page of eyelets (which I did gets lots and lots of)????  I plan to spend all of next weekend scrapping the last two weeks adventures so you will have to wait to see, I may upload some pics on the way, just to wet your appetite?

Gotta run, tea is on the table. xx

Happy Birthday to me!

Hello!

Am here in very wet Bournemouth having a lovely lovely birthday!

The day started with some super pressies, choccies, cuddly tigers, perfume,  new camera extras, crafty bits and bestest of all a little trip away next week to go and spend a day taking some very close up pics of some BIG cats courtesy of Big Monkey! 

I do love big cats and I do love Big Monkey!

We had a trip out to Hobbycraft and the Range, neither of which were overly exciting and after returning home we spent some amusing time before tea whilst I tried to complete part of my photography workshop - I have to take a self portrait with my name included in the pic - I lay on the floor, I reflected in mirrors and all to no avail  - I think I will play with the new remote tomorrow for a better posed shot?

We had a chinese takeaway for tea and lots of lovely wine, then played on the computer while we chatted. Not very exciting but very nice with all those who I love!

Am very nicely mellow now thank you, and thank you for all the good wishes you have sent me.

Night night

xx

3 more sleeps!

All quiet in the house of Monkey. 

Its the first proper day of our holidays and we have done all our chores to leave us free to play for the next 2 weeks.

For chores read a trip to Hobbycraft, Next and Halfords???

I found some fab trays  in Staples - not quite 12 x 12, but will do nicely for layouts which need to be stored safely while they dry or wait to be photographed - only £1.46 each - bargain!

I have nearly completed all the initial tasks required for the Painting with Light workshop, am just waiting for a huge spot to go down before I take my Self Portrait. It has been a real  learning curve so far - just getting used to the forum, and I have also learnt some new stuff about how to use my dreaded Mac!

So far so good!

The snow has all long gone, but I have not finished the scrapping of it yet - one more to be made when I get the chance. I will leave you with this - sorry it looks a bit washed out in this picture (taken with my old Fuji rather than my fab new Canon - that's why!!)

Off to Brighton tomorrow - will hopefully get to take some good photos. 

3 more sleeps to my birthday!!

See you soon xx

Love is.........?

Doing things you love?

 We had a quiet day yesterday, Big monkey watched the rugby and I got to scrap. We gave each other hand made cards which gave us both headaches making them this year, but it was still lovely.

We cooked a lovely meal from M&S, BM gave me some beautiful roses ( I had already been given some Nestabilities after our Stamperama trip) and he was given an Orang u tan to sponsor via the WWF. 

Being together?

The Middlesbrough trip was ok, I survived, it was tough, not very nice and we nearly got snowed in! I am very very glad to be home!

We have snuggled and cuddled and we know that we don't have to give each other a horny devil key ring to know that we love each other - very much!

My Narnia Blanket?

I have mentioned this in a previous post, and Katie asked what it was? My friend Mark bought me this for my birthday about 3 years ago. It is a lovely snuggley warm faux fur throw and it just makes me think of snowy adventures, snuggled up in a sleigh being pulled by huskies or reindeer maybe? I love it, it comforts me when I am sad and keeps me warm on cold winter nights - its a big warm hug when big monkey isn't there!

Well, it seems ages since my last post. I got back late on Thursday night, while he was at work. I am now off for 2 weeks - yippee! But didn't get to scrap til yesterday co's on Friday I went with my best pal from work (Marge) to see the lovely new Lily Charlotte. While I don't normally gush over babies I have to say she is a real cutie, and mum and dad look sooo happy!

We are off to the country nest today, so no more scrapping for a week, which is why I was allowed to yesterday, But I did make 3 layouts so I will drip feed them to you so the blog doesn't get neglected.

I have just signed up to the Painting with Light workshop with CJ, and am both thoroughly daunted already and very excited. This may be another reason bloglife falls by the wayside over the next few weeks. So far I have managed to log on as a child and I needed my mummies permission to join the forum - god knows how I will cope with the actual photography side of things when I can't even cope with the forum?? I will try to keep you updated!

Be good xxx

Smiles all round!

Work is rubbish I have decided! 

Not for me the the excitement of an all expenses paid trip to Australia to work for a week like some of my colleagues had earlier this year, oh no - where do I get?

Middlesborough!

For two days!

Probably in horrid weather looking at this weeks forecast too!

Oh well, at least at the end of this week I have two weeks off to play, maybe/probably do some scrapping, visit Grannywen and the hound, have some Lurve on Valentines day and then my birthday!!! Not too bad a list of things to look forward to even by my standards!?

I will leave you with this delight - it makes me smile every time I look at it, but then so do my monkeys!! 

Take care xx

Photo geek!

Nothing exciting to report from Monkey world today. I am working all weekend which is very dull and not at all productive to scrapping projects.

Just a quick post to share this little layout with you, once again courtesy of PDQ papers which come in really handy sometimes.

Big monkey called me a photo geek - must be something to do with the bobble hat even though I pointed out that I wasn't wearing an anorak!! This was Monday when I rushed home from work to photograph the snow and grabbed my camera even before stopping to say hello or take my boots off!?

I think he is quite bemused at all the photographic books and equipment that have appeared since my new treat arrived and I try to learn how to use it all. No more point and shoot for me!

Disappointed!

To make a change from the snow I thought we would go underwater today, although looking at the photos that Grannywen sent of her garden today some of us already are!

I am really pleased with this page - it took ages to do and although you can't get the full effect in the photo it is layered like decoupage with lots of little embellishments hidden throughout.

I submitted it to a magazine to be published and was excited this morning when the magazine finally landed on the doorstep. You can imagine my disappointment on looking through it not to find my layout! I know editors cuts involve this sometimes, but I was just hoping not this time as I liked this page sooo much! Also my photo of it will never do it the justice that a full glossy magazine shoot will give it!!

Oh well, enjoy my trip to the aquarium dear reader and maybe it will be my turn to be published again another day? xx

Back to scrap

As mine is meant to be a scrap page blog and just recently I seem to have been showing photos not scrap pages I thought that I would very quickly add these two as a double treat! I'm not sure about them as they are both a bit busy for my liking, but they follow the 'when life gives you lemons' rule of scrapping, not so good photos that convey the feeling rather then anything super focused or well composed.

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by the lovely Katie.

I've never been tagged before and have just learnt how to link people. 

I was quietly scrapping some of the photos I took at the weekend when this appeared on screen.

 I am thrilled  and a bit in awe - I don't really know anyone in blogworld but there are some fabulous ladies who both inspire me and make me laugh and cry at the same time.

I salute these super women and in turn tag you.  (Katie - if you hadn't tagged me you would be one of them!!!)

Louby

Karen

Debby

CJ

Kirsty

Sarah

Now fabulous ladies this is what you must do......

• Go to your photos folder in your computer
• Go to the sixth folder
• go to the sixth picture in that folder
• Add that picture to your blog and add a description of it
• Invite six friends to join in the challenge
• Link them in your blog and let them know that they have been challenged.

My photo was taken in 2007 whilst on a camping trip to Lyme Regis with my Mum and Dad. The weather wasn't great that summer, not ideal for camping but we had a great trip and I remember this evening as it concluded with fish n chips on the quay, mum and I sharing a wooden fork to eat them!!!  xx 

There's snow business like..........

snow business!

How fantastic, or is it? 

Did you get to stay at home and play or were you like me and had to get up at sparrow fart and trudge miles through the silent white blizzard to find an open tube so that you could get to work for 7 0'clock? One of the pitfalls of living so close to work I guess, no blaming the trains and taking a duvet day to build a snowman for me! 

This was definitely the wrong weekend to be at the town not country nest!!

I was one of the few people who made it in ( no thanks from the boss) and spent the day taking phonecalls from everyone telling me why they couldn't get in, or what fun snowball fights they had waiting for non-existent trains!

Not fair!

By the time I did get home, there was just time to build a quick snowman with Big monkey and take a few snaps before he went into work, I settled in to scrap them and was hit by the worst migraine I have suffered in years! 

I reckon it was actually snow blindness!

I was in bed by 7.30pm and slept til this mornings sparrow woke me and did it all again!  This time slipping and sliding my way on the ice - not fun. The migraine was still lingering and I ended up coming home after 2 hours at work, and spent today asleep, snuggling monkey after his night shift.

I have attempted to scrap this evening but frankly can't muster any mojo or energy. Have spent an hour or so surfing t'internet to look at everyone else's fab pics of the snow and feeling like I am always in the wrong place at the wrong time! 

Stamperama was fantastic - really glad I went. I picked up some good bargains which I can't wait to play with, and put an order in for my valentines pressie as I don't want any fattening choccies this year!

Now I just need to have some time to me, so I can do some scrapping!